Marquetry Tea Boxes

Recently, I was asked to submit an item to a silent auction to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. The auction took place at the Sing Strong A Cappella festival in Washington DC last month. My future son-in-law Jonathan was the executive producer for the show, and my daughter Judith was the director of the “Single Singers”, a group comprised of all those singers attending the festival and who did not already belong to a group.

I had fairly recently come off a commissioned project for a tea box with a marquetry top depicting an early 19th century painting that the client and his wife really loved. The tea box was well received and I found myself getting more and more requests for similar boxes, so I went to work creating one for the festival.

First of all, I have to give complete credit for the marquetry design of this box to Dennis Zonger’s great book “Wooden Boxes” from Taunton Press, particularly his Music Box design. (If you are a box builder and don’t have this volume, you are certainly missing out on a load of valuable tips and insights!)

I used Dennis’ marquetry design for the musical score with two violins, and created the box for tea bags shown. The box was a success at the silent auction, getting one of the highest prices for items donated. Thanks, Dennis!

The pictures illustrate the box and its twin which has been made for the silent auction at the Sing Strong festival to be held in Chicago next month. If you’re in the Chicagoland area in early April, check this festival out—you will be amazed by the wide variety of talented a cappella performers.

The first box was made of cherry, maple, Hawaiian koa, holly, sapele, ipe, walnut and walnut burl veneer. The bandings were shop made. The second replaced the cherry with Chechen rosewood and used a slightly different combination of the shop sawn veneers for the design.

The veneers on this piece varied a bit. The marquetry was started on 3/32” pieces, but when I made the banding many moons ago, it was just shy of 1/16”. So, after completing the marquetry piece, it was drum sanded to closely match the striped banding prior to assembly. The walnut burl veneer on the inner side of the lid was 1/42” or so. Since the marquetry panel is held captive in the case, I’m never worried about opposing forces on the top causing it to warp with the disparate thicknesses.

Fantastic work Bob. I wish I knew about the event my wife and I would have loved to go see it so let me know if you hear of any more. We feel like mushrooms out here in the country this is about all the culture we get http://youtu.be/BHMfW1Um_Ls?t=4m9s . That was very nice of you to donate your work.

I was just looking at your beautiful Tea Box from the 19th Century C Drawing, and seen the violins and said hey that looks familiar.

I think you did a fantastic job on the marquetry and the box, words can’t describe the joy I’m feeling right now, that my book could help a fellow woodworker. It makes those five years of hard work well worth it!!!

And then to know that you made it for a silent auction for Alzheimer’s. Like Paul said, You are a good Man!!!!